The Pilgrim's Progress

novel, A Short History of Progress, the concept of a “progress trap” is explored. Described by Wright, a “progress trap” is a situation in which humans establish a dependence upon new technology or techniques that have been integrated into societal structures to help “improve” human living conditions. This newly developed technology or knowledge can become paramount in society and critical to the survival of the transformed civilization. At this point, a loop of “progress trap” development can…

buying and selling of shares of stock on Wall Street to prevent future speculation. The Federal Housing Administration insured bank loans that were distributed to construct new houses and repair old homes. In 1935, Roosevelt helped create the Works Progress Administration to help the unemployed Americans find jobs. In its first year of existence, the WPA helped 3.4 million men and women find jobs in factories and other professions throughout the country. Like the PWA, WPA workers built bridges,…

History influences people’s decisions that would affect the sustainability and climate change issues for the country. The sustainability includes three core parts, which keep the country sustainable which are social, economic, and environmental. Currently, sustainability and climate change are the trending issues that are waiting to be resolved. But in order for them to be resolved, to make the best decision on how to combat these problems, it is good to reference their country’s history to make…

The Great Depression was a time for America that was in poverty. US citizens were homeless and jobless. Two long term effects of the Great Depression were the farming situation and bank. Before the Depression, a lot of farmers were over producing crops. This was for the war effort to support all the soldiers fighting. Farmers wanted to keep growing crops; they did this by removing all the weeds and grass to farm more crops. However the soil’s nutrients were all gone and unable to grow…

The great Depression Imagine, you have a wonderful life with no problems other than having to get out of your squishy bed in your apartment in the morning, and driving your brand new car to work. Then, one day, your life takes a faster turn than a tornado. Your having to work all of the time with aches and pains, and you never have any free time. You can barely pay your bills, for you lost all of your money as if someone took all of the money you used to have and set it ablaze. This was the…

An artist is struggling to make a living; she has two children who cannot predict when their next meal is. The artist heard that the WPA (the Works Progress Administration) was funding for the arts as part of a relief program. She was ecstatic to hear she could finally obtain a job to provide for her family. This artist was put in the position of poverty because after WWI, the economy was booming and the American society went through a prosperous period known as the Roaring 20s. In 1929, there…

What if theater was free to the public? I encourage you to go look up prices to Hamilton in order to really appreciate this concept. What if performance art was no longer limited to the few for whom it is was financially feasible to throw away a couple hundred dollars on a theater ticket. The Federal Theater Project not only made theater available to all, regardless of economic status, but also employees over 10,000 artists suffering from the Great Depression. The Federal Theater Project was…

The unbelievable news was on the radio. You had heard it but you didn’t believe it was true. The stock market had crashed. People were hysterical. The lines at all of the banks were as long as the eye could see. The people living in this time period were just beginning to experience the awful roller coaster their lives would be. In 1929 the Stock Market crashed. which led to the Great Depression. Roosevelt passed the first New Deal in 1933 and it ended in 1935. The Second New Deal started in…

Could you imagine the United States with people dying of starvation, no job opportunities with millions unemployed, houses being sold, and no way to receive money from the banks? That’s how the United States was during the Great Depression. The Great Depression started in 1929 when the U.S. stock market crashed. Chaos broke out and everyone was freaking out as to why the banks were closed. People were quickly depositing money out of the banks, and items, like cars and homes, were being sold for…

When the Great Depression hit millions of people began to starve because they could not afford the raised food prices. “One million undernourished children have benefited from the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) school lunch programs” (Ellen S. Woodward). The government created the WPA that provided millions of students in school with a well balanced meal. In just under two years 80,000,000 hot, nutritious meals were served at a rate…